How to use fermentation stopper.

[Bertiebert]

Hi,

I wonder if anybody could help with a query I have please?

I'm new to winemaking but consider myself to have generally a good understanding of the processes.

2 months ago I harvested the apple tree in our garden and made 20L of apple wine. After fermentation I racked into a 20L carboy with bentonite. Over a few weeks the wine has cleared perfectly leaving the sediment at the bottom as expected. Yesterday I decided I would bottle. Now here's the problem:

to the bottling bucket I added 2.5 crushed campden tabs and 2tsp of Young's wine stabiliser following the label (hydrating in warm water 1/2tsppg).

As soon as the wine went into the bucket it turned very cloudy. In the hope that this would just clear in a few hours I continued to rack until all of the clear wine was in the bottling bucket leaving behind only the sediment.

The resulting bottling bucket of wine is now very very hazy.

I decided to leave with the lid on overnight to ensure clarity returned however this was not to be the case, although it did improve somewhat. In the end I returned it to the carboy as I was not willing to continue with the bottling process until I know it will clear.



Has anyone else come across this issue where the addition of metabisulphite and or Potassium Sorbate have turned clear wine into bin juice? Do we think that left and given time it will clear again?

Nb, the wine was at about 10c at the time of adding to the sulphs and sorbs if that may affect things?

Very annoying as it's wasted a lot of time, risked potential contamination of the wine and means I will have to sanitize all of my bottles again ☹



Any views welcome.

Thanks.

Rob.

 

[Chippy_Tea]

Yesterday I decided I would bottle. Now here's the problem:
to the bottling bucket I added 2.5 crushed campden tabs and 2tsp of Young's wine stabiliser following the label (hydrating in warm water 1/2tsppg).
As soon as the wine went into the bucket it turned very cloudy. In the hope that this would just clear in a few hours I continued to rack until all of the clear wine was in the bottling bucket leaving behind only the sediment.
The resulting bottling bucket of wine is now very very hazy.

When i used to make my own wine i racked into a sanitised DJ onto a crushed Campden tablet added the stabiliser (fermentation stopper) and finings gave it a good degassing left it to clear then bottled when it cleared i never had any issues with cloudy wine.

You are probably going to have to give it more time to clear on its own.

 

[Bertiebert]

In hind sight I guess it actually makes sense to use the fermentation stopper at 1st racking in future.......
Thanks for the reply.

 

[MashBag]

I make wine every year. Gravity and time will fix it.

For completeness. I only use potassium metabisulphite, not sodium, after all fermentations and macerations are complete. Nothing else.

Lots of coursely applied additions, only seem to add to the homebrew twang IME

 

[Bertiebert]

Forgot to mention, I intend to back sweeten before bottling, hence the addition of potassium sorbate.

 

[MashBag]

Backsweeten with something unfermentable.

 

[Bertiebert]

Thanks for the suggestion Mashbag. Unfortunately I don't favour the flavour achieved with the non fermentables. I've found Erythriol best but it's still a trade off against sugar.